


Until the Day You Die

by ComposerEgg



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Angst, Cuddles, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-16 04:46:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12335760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComposerEgg/pseuds/ComposerEgg
Summary: His heart is pounding in his chest as his feet pound against the pavement. Adrenaline pulses through his veins as Neku sprints across Shibuya, down to the river, the moon hanging high in the sky above him.He keeps his eyes open, staring out without seeing. He can’t close them, can’t return to the darkness that lies behind the lids. As his eyes dry, he knows he needs to, and the urge builds until he blinks.Joshua, kneeling on the floor of the Room of Reckoning, face an ashy white, the color of life drained away.





	Until the Day You Die

His heart is pounding in his chest as his feet pound against the pavement. Adrenaline pulses through his veins as Neku sprints across Shibuya, down to the river, the moon hanging high in the sky above him.

He keeps his eyes open, staring out without seeing. He can’t close them, can’t return to the darkness that lies behind the lids. As his eyes dry, he knows he needs to, and the urge builds until he blinks.

 

_Joshua, kneeling on the floor of the Room of Reckoning, face an ashy white, the color of life drained away. Snow that’s sat out in the city too long, accumulated the smog and turned grey. His eyes look up, no mirth, no bright light within them. Instead the bags under them hang like dead weight, the violet dulled from its former spark of life._

He rubs his eyes, forcing them back open as he runs. But it’s hard, and when he blinks again, more images flash in the darkness, horrors seared into his eyelids.

 

_Neku sprints into the room, kneeling by Joshua, shaking him. He moves to take his pulse, but the movement is left incomplete as he remembers Josh is dead._

_He lets out a sigh as Josh moves, hand reaching out, but lightning freezes him as he sees what Joshua is grabbing._

_The cold metal weight of a revolver with a few bullets left settles in his hand, as Joshua’s icy, clammy hand wraps around his. Neku’s stuck, the moment stretching outward, stones in his gut at the sight of that gun. He can’t move, or he’d drop it in an instant, but cold fire burns through his hand and welds it with the steel._

_Joshua keeps his hand secure over his, bending Neku’s will and fingers to his own wishes. The air is heavy as Josh raises their hands upward, Shibuya holding her breath._

_“I’m sorry,” echoes in his ears, and prompts him to move, jerking backward, but the movement presses down against that trigger before he can drop the gun._

_The silence is shattered by Joshua’s final words and the ringing noise of the bullet that impacted his skull, reverberating around the room. It’s all a distant buzz to Neku’s ears as he takes in those cold, dead eyes, and the soft curve of his friend’s lips, twisted up into a smile that whispers of relief._

_As Shibuya crashes down around him, pouring into him, he bolts upright in bed, covering his mouth to muffle the scream that shreds his throat._

 

Neku has no time to think as he crosses the Rubicon, no time to reflect on the details of his nightmare. He just knows he needs to get to Josh, to confirm that he’s alright.

He dashes into the Dead God’s Pad, and wastes no time as he finds the door into the Trail of the Judged. Maybe he’s a fool, for running head-first into the scene of the crime, but it’s where Josh would be, and he has to see him.

He skids into the room, eyes scanning everywhere, before landing on the throne. A body lays there, one arm tucked under the head, on the armrest. Legs curled up on the seat. Wings acting as blankets, draped over his body as Joshua sleeps.

His entrance prompts Joshua to sit up, rubbing his eyes to dismiss the tired ache. “It’s like three in the AM, Neku, what the hell?” he mumbles, before getting a better look.

Neku has no doubt that Josh is aware of his state. He’s trembling, hyperventilating. His muscles burn, and there’s fire in his lungs as they beg for air. Joshua can probably _sense_ the discordant notes of his Music, loud and clashing.

“Nightmare,” is all he can choke out, and when Joshua waves him over he’s there, clambering onto the throne and being wrapped up under Josh’s arm, held close. Joshua is _warm_ , and Neku knows that’s not natural. He’s caught Josh unaware before, felt the cold clinging to his skin. Neku can only assume the warmth is for his sake, it certainly doesn’t bother Josh.

“A nightmare so bad that you had to run all the way through the city, just so you can curl up next to me? Must’ve been bad,” Josh says. He knows Josh won’t pry, will let Neku speak about it when he wants.

Neku nods, voice quaky with tears unshed and biting fury at the idea of being helpless. “Don’t you ever fucking think of using me as some way to try and off yourself again.”

Josh flinches beside him, and starts to run his fingers through Neku’s hair. “I promise you, I won’t. I will be here for you until the day you die.”

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like after the previous fic I needed to do some angsty shit. Day 3 of twewytober: nightmare.
> 
> So I'm a few days behind on twewytober, due to writing for the bang (that fic is going to go through some heavy editing before it ends up on here, but you can check it out as it gets posted over at the [twewy bang tumblr!](http://subasekabang.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at [composeregg](http://composeregg.tumblr.com) or [indecisiveauthor](http://indecisiveauthor.tumblr.com/), feel free to hit me up there!
> 
> If you liked this fic, please drop a comment below! It would absolutely make my day! Anything is welcome, from kind words to incoherent screams to concrit!
> 
> EDIT: [I have a twewy discord now! It's here!](https://discord.gg/pEADe9J)


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